With temperatures soaring, employers should take immediate steps to assess and manage heat-related risks, the HSE has warned. With temperatures forecast to reach 38°C and a rare red heat warning in place, the regulator stressed that extreme heat can affect worker health, safety and productivity. Employment partner Alan Lewis , commenting to People Management, highlights the legal consequences of failing to address heat risks: “Because heat is a hazard, failure to assess and

A female planning enforcement officer for Kent County Council has been awarded more than £37,000 at an employment tribunal, after partly winning an equal pay claim. The employee raised concerns after being placed on a lower pay band than her male predecessor, despite undertaking the same responsibilities within Kent County Council's two-person planning enforcement team. A tribunal found that the council had breached the sex equality clause and that its assessment of the emplo

An employment tribunal has ruled in favour of Sandra Moody, a black higher-level teaching assistant, who successfully proved race discrimination, harassment and unfair dismissal after being accused of having an “angry face” and intimidating pupils at a Southwark primary school. The tribunal found that complaints about her tone and facial expression were vague, exaggerated and influenced by negative racial stereotypes, with similar behaviour by white colleagues not scrutinised

Non-compete litigation is climbing sharply, with High Court claims issued by employers against former staff up 43 per cent this year, according to a new report. A rise in business creation (up 3.5% year on year) and a slowdown for permanent hiring sending professionals into self-employment are cited as two possible reasons for this rise. Commenting to People Management, Constantine Law partner, Alan Lewis , warns that October 2026 will mark a major turning point: the use of

A man working as a digital production manager for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme has lost his claim for unfair dismissal and...